June 12: Protest suffers low turn out, clashes in Lagos, Abuja, Cross River

The protests held across the country on Saturday to mark Democracy Day were marred by low turnout, police resistance and arrests, especially in Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory.

The Lekki area of Lagos, where a bloody ambush on #EndSARS protesters was recorded on October 20, 2020, was mostly calm on Saturday as residents shunned calls for protests.

The Admiralty Circle Plaza and Ikoyi Link Bridge toll gates were the scenes of shootings by soldiers, after hundreds of youths had gathered there to express their grievances over alleged police brutality and poor governance.

Sunday PUNCH reports that despite rumours of protests in some parts of Lagos, vehicles moved freely on Lekki-Epe Expressway amid the presence of security agents, while pedestrians were seen going about their business as shops and supermarkets were partially opened to attend to customers.

Visibly delighted about the near-calm atmosphere, a resident, Mr Emmanuel Ndubuisi, said the #EndSARS protests had taught Lagosians lessons they would not forget in a hurry.

He said the lessons learnt by residents of the area during the last bloody clash had made them to think twice before embarking on any adventure.

Ndubuisi said, "Many people with offices in the area recorded huge losses, so no one will want to experience such a crisis again. I am happy we are at peace in this part of Lagos now; this is how a sane society should be."

Another resident, Mr Tosin Adeboyejo, urged youths to pursue peace at all times and develop themselves. Adeboyejo said, "The youth in our country are our future. Parents, guardians and even the government must invest in them. The youth themselves should also develop themselves by ensuring they get good education and skills, so that they can be useful to both themselves and society."

Despite the peaceful atmosphere in the state, men of the Lagos State Police Command, on Saturday morning, fired tear gas canisters at protesters who converged on Gani Fawehinmi Park venue in the Ojota area of the state to demand an end to bad governance. Transport union workers also joined in to disperse the protesters.

They also fired canisters at peaceful protesters at the Ketu area of the state.

The state Commissioner of Police, Mr Hakeem Odumosu, later said five persons suspected to have participated in protests were arrested in front of park, though he added that the suspects had been released.

Odumosu, who spoke during a visit to the park, said, "As of now, no suspect is being detained in connection with the protest. I want to emphasise that no single person is in police custody as a result of the protest (as at 1.30pm). Five persons were arrested at Ojota, I ordered my men to release them. I thank God no one was injured, no vehicle was also damaged."

The police commissioner noted that everywhere he visited was calm; adding that reports from officers showed that everywhere was calm in the state.
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